Malaysia vs Thailand: Military expenditure (% of GDP)
Malaysia
1.0%
in 2025
Thailand
1.0%
in 2025
Malaysia rank
124th
Thailand rank
123rd
Military expenditure (% of GDP) over time
- Malaysia
- Thailand
How they compare
Thailand currently reports 1.0% against 1.0% in Malaysia, a difference of 0.0%.
The two have swapped places 13 times across 66 shared years of data; in 1960 it was Malaysia ahead.
Malaysia ranks 124th and Thailand ranks 123rd of 167 countries.
Across the 7 decades both report, Malaysia averaged higher in 5 and Thailand in 2.
Head to head by decade
| Decade | Malaysia | Thailand | Difference | Ahead |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960s | 3.4% | 2.5% | 0.9% | Malaysia |
| 1970s | 4.5% | 3.3% | 1.1% | Malaysia |
| 1980s | 3.9% | 3.7% | 0.2% | Malaysia |
| 1990s | 2.5% | 2.3% | 0.2% | Malaysia |
| 2000s | 2.1% | 1.2% | 0.8% | Malaysia |
| 2010s | 1.3% | 1.4% | 0.0% | Thailand |
| 2020s | 1.0% | 1.2% | 0.2% | Thailand |
Averages of every year both report within each decade.
Frequently asked questions
- Which has higher military expenditure, Malaysia or Thailand?
- Thailand, at 1.0% against 1.0% in Malaysia as of 2025.
- What is the difference in military expenditure between Malaysia and Thailand?
- 0.0%, with Thailand ahead.
- How many years of comparable data are there for Malaysia and Thailand?
- 66 years are reported by both, from 1960 to 2025.
- How do Malaysia and Thailand rank globally for military expenditure?
- Malaysia ranks 124th and Thailand ranks 123rd of 167 countries.
- Where does this data come from?
- SIPRI Military Expenditure Database, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI), published as Military expenditure (% of GDP). Statizoid refreshes it automatically from the source and publishes the full history for both places.
Individual pages
About this data
Military expenditure by country as percentage of gross domestic product